Or even that the cars, which make up more than 25 percent of Metro's fleet, will eventually be phased out, according to the transit agency.

No matter. It does not eliminate the need to fix the "door control units" problem, Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel told the WashPo.

"Essentially, it's a safety issue that needs to be corrected," he said. "We need to retain the reliability of the 1000 series cars."

Because the cars are just so.. reliable, right?

Taubenkibel says Metro still needs to operate 1000 series cars because "any type of replacement vehicle is several years away." That, and the transit agency says that replacing all 290 of the 30+ years old cars would cost nearly $900 million.

So the next time you're riding Metro, rest assured that, within the next few years, at least your doors will be operating properly.